Foods That Put You in the Mood

Foods That Put You in the Mood

Food and sex: you need 'em both, you want 'em both — and, as it turns out, they’re closely linked. A poor diet can lead to a lackluster sex life, while some foods have the power to make you feel sexier or prime your body for some mind-blowing booty. A healthy balance of vitamins and minerals keeps your endocrine system humming, which in turn regulates the production of the hormones estrogen and testosterone, essential for sexual desire and performance, says Cammi Balleck, PhD, a naturopathic physician and author of Making Happy Happen. "Enjoying an active sex life is essential to our wellbeing, and the foods we eat play a large role in ensuring we feel in the mood," she says. So you could call good food and good sex a positive feedback loop. Here, eight foods (plus one meal!) with proven power to up the sexy.

Celery

Celery

It may seem like all this crunchy veggie has going for it is its low calorie count, but trust us, it's sexy, too. Celery contains chemicals called androsterone and adrostenal, which make us feel more sexually attractive, says Balleck. She also notes that celery contains a small amount of male hormones, which can boost female arousal. Need more? "Celery’s balance of sodium and potassium make it an excellent diuretic," says Linda De Villers, PhD, author of Simple Sexy Food 101: Tasty Aphrodisiac Recipes and Sensual Tips to Stir Your Libido and Feed Your Love. Translation: It can help banish decidedly unsexy bloat.